Gasperini calls Allegri's Napoli outburst 'unfortunate' as Dybala may return against Cagliari

Gasperini weighs in on Allegri's tunnel rant

Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini has described the way Massimiliano Allegri's outburst at the end of Roma's 3-3 draw against Napoli was reported as 'unfortunate', as he prepared his side for Tuesday's home fixture against Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico.

Leonardo Balerdi's late equaliser prompted a fiery reaction from Napoli head coach Massimiliano Allegri, who was sent off and has since been handed a two-match ban for his actions. In the tunnel, Allegri was heard claiming that 'they put the Champions League in Roma's pocket last season. It's always them. I paid for it with Milan'.

Asked whether he had heard those remarks, Gasperini replied: "I didn't hear them, you reported them. The numbers are the sum of everything that we did last year. I didn't read any comments about that, which was certainly unfortunate."

Dybala in contention, rotation under consideration

Gasperini confirmed that Paulo Dybala could be back in the squad for the Cagliari game. "In terms of recovery, the only one that might be possible is Dybala, we'll try things out this afternoon to see if we can have him with us on the bench. That in itself would be a positive. I have a lot of confidence."

On rotation, he added: "Today is our first training session and it's already the eve of the game, so I'll have to decide today. Probably yes, but we'll see based on our assessment of the opponent. We have a squad that is capable of rotating well."

Earlier reporting from football-italia.net (23 October) had flagged a high-grade thigh tear for Lorenzo Pellegrini, while Dybala's own absence had been expected to last at least four games; Gasperini's update indicates the Argentine may now be available on the bench.

Unbeaten run continues

Roma have now gone 15 matches unbeaten in Serie A, a run that dates back to a 5-2 defeat against Inter at the beginning of April. "We have continuity and we have to move forwards," Gasperini said. "Our goal is to continue improving and there's never a limit. We've been able to repeat the things we want to do on the pitch which is bringing us results over time."

Soulé's progress and Lulli's future

Gasperini praised Matías Soulé, who was born in 2003 and is still only 23. "Unfortunately he had a period where he had to stop because of pubalgia and lost a few months from that. This year he started where he left off. Saturday's game was extraordinary." He added that Soulé's versatility across the right, left and as a central attacking midfielder had been 'great', and noted that his call-up by Argentina was 'an encouraging sign'.

Reports suggest Emanuele Lulli is close to signing a new long-term contract, but Gasperini appeared cautious about trusting him in big Serie A or Champions League matches yet. "We have four players in that position who are doing well. Rensch is doing well, Wesley is a great player and Molina has put in some great performances. I'm happy for Lulli and he deserves everything he's getting. The goal is for us to all grow individually."

Injury updates: Koné and Svilar

Gasperini ruled out a quick return for Manu Koné: "Kone is unlikely to return before the break, but Svilar could return on Thursday or Friday and we could even have him back for next week. Maybe in Manchester, if not against Sassuolo in the last game before the break."